Adapting a Doctor's Visit Lesson from CLB 2 to an EAP Class

Part 2: Adaptation of an Activity to a Different Context: 

Introduction and Contexts:

This is an adaptation of a task-based activity created by an ESL teacher for teaching a Language Instruction for Newcomers (LINC) CLB 1/2 class (CLB 2012) about doctor’s visits (MacRae P., March 2019, personal communication).  The classes are for 2 hours each day in Winnipeg.  The activity will be adapted for an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) (4 hours/day) situated in Manitoba.  The activity will include the use of digital technology and a short presentation.   The original activity is done in groups of three, whereas the adapted activity will be done in pairs.  

Original Activity: 

The objective of the activity is for learners to understand and develop vocabulary and speaking skills for a doctor’s visit, and to become familiar with doctor’s visits in Canada.

The task is for the students, using the template below, to write a conversation for a visit to the doctor. The students are grouped in threes. The teacher will prepare the students for the activity by going through the template in detail.  First there is an explanation of the different parts of the doctor’s visit: polite greetings, ‘What’s the matter’, etc.  Then the detailed sentences are reviewed by the teacher for each section, with several examples of possible replies.  The learners have other previous reference sheets for some of the other vocabulary needed such as body parts.  The learners will write a short conversation between a doctor and ‘you’ based on the information in the table and make choices for some things.

The first draft written by the students is then corrected (if necessary) by the teacher and written on large sheets, and the next day the students take turns (in groups) reading through the conversations created by the class. 

Talk to the Doctor Template: 

Doctor You	Hello Hello	Polite greetings
Doctor You	What’s the matter? I am ______________. (adjective) I have a _________________. (noun) I ___________________. (verb)	What’s the matter?
Doctor You	How long? How many days? How high? Where does it hurt? How much does it hurt? When does it hurt the most?  (Other questions too) Understand and answer the questions.	The doctor asks questions.
Doctor You	May I     -take your temperature?    -take your pulse?    -take your blood pressure?    -listen to your chest?    -look into your eyes?   Ears?   -other examinations too.  OK.	The doctor examines you.
Doctor	You have _______________________________.  (cold? flu? infection? diabetes? high blood pressure? cancer? other problems)	The doctor tells you what’s wrong.
You Doctor	Oh.  What do I do? Stay home and rest.  Drink lots of fluids Take Tylenol. (Take the medicine 2 times a day) Other instructions too.  Come back.  (in one week, two weeks, if you aren’t better in two weeks…)	The doctor tells you what to do.
You Doctor	(Do you understand? No? Ask questions. ) (Answers your questions)	You ask questions
You Doctor	Thank you. Goodbye. You’re welcome. Goodbye	Polite goodbyes.

Adapted Activity: Doctor’s visit in Canada Compared to Other Countries

The task-based adapted activity is for an EAP class in Manitoba.  The objectives of this activity are:  

·     Learners will be able to compare and contrast information.

·     Learners will become more familiar with different digital technology applications and enhance their presentation skills. 

·     Learners will understand how to access healthcare in Manitoba while they are students. 

Learners (in a group activity) will first brainstorm words that are used in comparing and contrasting, and also do a web search for more words to add to those they know.  Then words will be combined into one large file for use in the activity. 

Learners will then work in pairs for the remainder.  They will be asked to research medical care in Manitoba and compare and contrast it to medical services in their home country or another country.  (If they are not from the same country, they can choose one of theirs) 

Using an appropriate format such as Adobe Spark, powerpoint, Youtube video, Prezi or other approved by the instructor, the learners will individually prepare a short (up to 5 min) presentation using the information they have gathered. They will include:

1)  a typical doctor’s visit

2)  costs of medical care and/or insurance

3)  how medical care is accessed (clinic, emergency, walk-in clinic,  specialists, etc.)

4)  wait times for seeing a doctor.

5)  information required for medical care.

6)  other similarities and differences.

For the information, learners will search the Government of Manitoba website, recent news articles on healthcare in Manitoba and relevant websites and information from their chosen country.  Students will create a table with the information they have found and possible words to use for comparing and contrasting the information. The teacher will review the information in the table with the students before they start preparing their presentation. 

Rationale for Changes: 

EAP classes are focused on developing higher-level language skills that prepare learners for higher education such as college and university, and therefore the grammar, writing and speaking levels of the activity is much higher compared to the original activity.  EAP courses much also prepare them for giving presentations in English and develop required digital literacy skills (Brown and Lee, 2015, pp. 237-256). In the original activity the students read the final presentation in groups, which is less stressful for lower level learners.  This adapted activity combines the skills of comparing and contrasting with the skills of giving a presentation. Allowing the leaners to work in pairs works well for a structured task (Brown and Lee 2015, pp. 275).  It will also lessen the anxiety of presentations, and help develop confidence in presentation skills.  Although EAP students should know language to use in accessing medical care in English, they may not be familiar with how Manitoba healthcare differs from their home country. One of the challenges teaching EAP is finding topics that motivate students (Oxford University Press  2012), so using a practical topic like medical care combined with developing necessary presentation skills should help generate interest.  The adapted activity requires students to gather information through good web searching techniques (a necessary skill in higher education), also allowing them to become more familiar with the differences between countries. Therefore the adapted lesson develops grammar, writing, speaking and digital skills suitable for an EAP environment. 

References for Adaptation: 

Adobe Spark Website. Retrieved from https://spark.adobe.com

Brown, D. & Lee, H. (2015). Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy (4th ed). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.

Center for Canadian Language Benchmarks (2012). Canadian Language        Benchmarks: English as a Second Language for Adults. [PDF document].     Retrieved from http://www.language.ca/publications/english-publications-  downloadable/

Oxford University Press ELT (2012, July) Teaching EAP: A Professional Challenge.    English Language Teaching Global Blog.  Retrieved             from https://oupeltglobalblog.com/2012/07/10/teaching-eap-a-       professional-challenge/